According to legend, the temple
of Sabarimala and the deity of Ayyappa have always been regarded
as the Pandalam Raja's very own, and it is not considered proper
to proceed to the temple without the king's knowledge and permission.
To make it easy for pilgrims to obtain the necessary permission,
a representative of the king sits even today, with all the royal
insignia, on a raised platform at the base of the Neelimala
Hill. The pilgrims offer a token amount to the royal representative,
and receive vibhuti from him.

This marks the beginning of the steepest climb of the pilgrimage,
the 3 km trek up the majestic Neelimala Hill, atop which sits Lord
Ayyappa in all his glory. The pilgrims wind their way up the difficult
trail in an unending stream, the hill reverberating with the constant
chanting of thousands.

At
the first sight of the Patinettampadi, the holy eighteen steps,
a full throated cry goes
up from the devotees, "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa!" It
is the realisation of a mission.

Built
on a plateau about 40 feet high, the Ayyappan temple commands
a lofty view of the mountains and valleys all around. The
ancient temple has been rebuilt after a fire in 1950,
consisting of a sanctum sanctorum with a copper-plated
roof and four golden finials at the top, two mandapams,
the belikalpura which houses the altar,

and the flag-staff. Replacing the earlier stone image
of the deity is a beautiful idol of Ayyappa in panchaloha,
an alloy of five metals, about one and a half feet tall.

There
are several explanations regarding the significance of the
Patinettampadi, but in all of
them, the emphasis is on the number 18. One popular belief
is that the first 5 steps signify the five indriyas
or senses, the next 8 the ragas, the next 3 the gunas,
followed by vidya and avidya. Crossing these
would take the devotee closer to self-realisation.

Finally,
at the eighteenth step, the devotee is at last face to face
with the image of the Lord Ayyappa, or Dharma Sasta. A circumambulation
brings him right in front of the sanctum sanctorum,
and the pilgrim is filled with a sense of accomplishment

and utter peace. But there is one more thing to be done
- the ghee abhisheka, or bathing of the idol in ghee,
which marks the culmination of the pilgrimage. The ghee-filled
coconut which the pilgrim has carried in the front section
of his irumudi is broken, and the
ghee is offered to the deity. Another important abhisheka
is of vibhuti, which is also brought by the devotee in his
irumudi.

To
the south-west of the main temple is the shrine of Lord Ganapati,
known as Kannimula Ganapati. The special offering to this
deity is Ganapati homan; and there used to be a large homakunda
in front of the shrine, which burned constantly, fed by the coconut
shells thrown by the devotees, after offering the ghee. As the coconut
shells are consumed by the fire, the sins of the devotees are believed
to be cleansed. Due to the growing crowds in the temple, the homakunda
has now been shifted to a location below the temple.

About
a 100 metres away is the shrine of Malikappurathamma. En
route to the shrine is the temple tank, Bhasma Kulam,
in which hundreds of devotees take a holy bath in memory
of the tapaswini Sabari who entered a fire to end her mortal
life. It is after her that the peak is named Sabarimala.On
account of the number

of people who bathe in the tank, the water is frequently
drained out and refilled with fresh water.

Situated on a small hillock, the Malikappurathamma temple houses
the shrines of the Devi and Kaduthaswamy. Devotees also worship
a trident and lamp here, and offer coconuts. The coconuts are not
broken, however, but are just rolled on the ground around the temple.

To
the left of this temple are the shrines of the snake god and goddess,
Nagaraja and Nagayakshi. Here, tribals beat on drums, play stringed
instruments and sing sarppa pattu to protect devotees and
their progeny from the harmful effects of snakebites.

At
the foot of the Patinettampadi are the two shrines of Kaduthaswamy
and Karuppaswamy, who stand like dwarapalakas or
guardians of the holy steps, to ensure that they are not
polluted by those who tread on them without fulfilling the
rigid austerities required of them. They are also believed
to protect the devotees from the evil spirits of the forests.
According to legend, Kadutha was a great warrior who helped
the Pandalam king defeat the armies of Udayanan and other
enemies. When the king came to Sabarimalai to reconstruct
the temple, Kadutha came with him to protect him. Ultimately,
he became so attached to Ayyappa that he decided to spend
the rest of his days with his Lord.

Also near the Patinettampadi
is the shrine of the Muslim Vavurswami. While there are several
accounts of identity of Vavur, it is generally believed that he
was a warrior who was defeated and subdued by Ayyappa, and later
became a close associate. It is believed that Lord Ayyappa himself
instructed the Pandalam king to build a mosque for Vavur at Erumeli
and a shrine at Sabarimalai.

The
Vavur deity is believed to be as old as the original deity of Ayyappa
himself, and records show that the shrine was renovated sometime
in 1905. Here, the poojas are conducted by a Muslim priest. There
is no distinguishable idol, but a carved stone slab that represents
the deity. A green silken cloth is hung across one wall, and there
is also an old sword. The special offering here is green pepper.
Many devotees also bring a goat to offer to Vavurswami, mainly in
the belief that pilgrims accompanied by a goat will reach the temple
safely. These goats are later auctioned by the temple authorities.

The
layout of the Ayyappa temple is believed to have originated from
the specific instructions of the Lord himself, who wanted Malikappurathamma,
on his left a few yards from Sannidhanam, and his trusted lieutenants
Vavur and Kadutha to be positioned as his guards at the foot of
the holy 18 steps.